NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble.com Inc. posted a wider loss for the fourth quarter, in line with expectations, even as its sales tripled. The online bookseller said it expects to turn a profit in 2002.

Ever-growing losses are a common problem for online retailers, which are all scrambling to win market share in a nascent industry. But Barnes & Noble.com sought to assure investors that profitability isn't as distant a dream as it...